Portable Braille Scanner for Visually Impaired Text Access
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for visually impaired individuals, such as Braille and auditory screen readers, face limitations in accessing dynamic and voluminous textual content efficiently, with steep learning curves, limited availability of Braille materials, and serial nature of auditory content, which hinders convenient reading and navigation.
Innovation Solution
A portable device with a mobile contact scanner and electronic Braille system that allows for dynamic text ingestion and presentation, enabling tactile feedback and navigation through a grid of optical sensors, magnetic pins, and ultrasonic jets, allowing for efficient reading and browsing of multiple sources simultaneously.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If traditional Braille methods are used, then reading accuracy is maintained, but learning curve becomes steep and reading speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses optical sensors to capture visual text and creates a digital copy that is then converted to Braille patterns, allowing visually impaired users to access text without manually learning Braille translation while maintaining reading accuracy through the fidelity of the optical copying process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical process of manual Braille translation and tactile exploration with an optical-mechanical system that uses sensors, processors, and actuators to automatically generate and present Braille patterns, reducing the learning burden while maintaining accuracy
2Ease of operation
If auditory screen readers are used, then accessibility is improved, but reading efficiency decreases due to serial nature of audio output
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from one-dimensional auditory output to two-dimensional tactile Braille patterns that can be scanned rapidly across the page, enabling parallel processing of multiple characters simultaneously and dramatically improving reading efficiency while maintaining accessibility
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements dynamically refreshable Braille patterns that update in real-time as the user moves the device across the text, allowing continuous adaptation to the user's reading position and enabling efficient navigation through voluminous content without the serial limitations of audio output
3Stability of the object's composition
If static Braille display devices are used, then reading stability is maintained, but adaptability to dynamic content decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs dynamically refreshable Braille patterns that can update in real-time, allowing the display to adapt to changing text content, user navigation, and contextual information while maintaining stable and consistent tactile feedback for reliable reading
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a multi-functional system that can handle both static prepared text and dynamic changing content through the same refreshable Braille display, enabling universal access to diverse content types including live data, interactive interfaces, and navigational information
4Ease of operation
If specialized Braille devices are used, then reading functionality is improved, but device cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs a multi-functional device that combines optical sensing, image processing, and Braille display capabilities in a single system, eliminating the need for separate specialized devices while providing comprehensive reading functionality through integrated operations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a mobile contact scanner as an intermediary component that bridges the gap between various text sources and the Braille display, enabling access to diverse content through a single device interface and reducing the need for multiple specialized tools
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables spontaneous access to both prepared and dynamically changing text, enhancing reading experiences by providing a flexible, cost-effective, and performance-efficient system for visually impaired users, allowing for efficient navigation and feedback similar to visual reading.
Implementation Method 1
The ingestion layer comprises a grid of optical sensors densely populating on the surface of the ingestion layer
Implementation Method 2
A set of magnetic pins and their electro-mechanical control may be used to induce the sensation of touching a matric of vibrating dots
Implementation Method 3
stimuli through imparting electric currents or ultrasonic jets in a coordinated series of spatiotemporal patterns are employed to mimic the user's finger sliding across the embossed dots
Data Source
AI summary
A device compensating limits of humans senses, includes a receiver receiving information in a first sense, a converter converting the received information into information in a second sense and a presenter that presents the converted information. In an embodiment, the first sense is the vision and the receiver receives visual information comprising texts, wherein the second sense is auditory sense or tactile sensation, and the receiver comprises an ingestion layer that ingests information from a target object. In another embodiment, the receiver ingests the full audio or visual sensory stimuli, and takes the portion that is blocked for the sensory deprivation of the user, and the converter extracts environmental cues contained therein by applying machine intelligence logic and makes trans-sensory conversion to their synthetic representation.